The Shoulder Squeeze Arm Block skill on Aerial Hoop looks a bit like a glitch in reality. Almost as if it was put together in a photo editor. And we love it! This skill was developed from our own play on aerial hoop and, as far as we are aware, is unique to Aerial Fit. One thing we love about the skill, is that conceptually it is very simple. The arms simply push down on the hoop to support the body. The reality of actually learning and doing the skill is a bit more complicated.
Being comfortable in Shoulder Block Splits without the hands on the hoop is an absolute necessity before taking on this skill, but it does not guarantee that Shoulder Squeeze Arm Block will be tolerable. Because the sensation of the hoop pressing on the upper arms can be so intense, we also feel it is crucial to train this skill on a super low hoop so that a student can step to the floor to exit if necessary.
This tutorial includes progressions that should be first done close to the floor and then progressions for taking the skill up to a normal height. Being able to work with a student on a low hoop is crucial to reducing the risk of learning this skill. If adjusting hoop height isn’t easy for your situation, then we highly recommend that a skill like this should be reserved for a private lesson where the hoop can be set low.
Become an Aerial Fit Online member to access the video for Shoulder Squeeze Arm Block. This in-depth video will explain how to properly train this skill. It also includes cross references to the most important Building Blocks, Common Mistakes, Related Drills, Ground Drills, Variations, Next Steps and Sequences.
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Some of the most important aerial hoop skills, related movements, and prerequisites from our aerial video tutorial library that students should be very comfortable doing to succeed at Shoulder Squeeze Arm Block.
These are the most common mistakes we see with students when they are learning how to do the aerial hoop skill Shoulder Squeeze Arm Block and detailed directions on how to fix these problems to make the skill look and feel easy.
These similar aerial hoop skills and aerial drills are helpful to troubleshoot and help with problems. Students don't need to have mastered the Shoulder Squeeze Arm Block to work on these related skills and drills. These drills may help your students make important connections and answer the question "What am I doing wrong?".
These are some of our favorite ground drills for aerialists for Shoulder Squeeze Arm Block. They can be used as part of the ground warm up or as part of the aerial class teaching progression.
These are different variations of Shoulder Squeeze Arm Block. Students should be very comfortable with the current skill before working on these different or more advanced variations. They can be used for further exploration, managing students with different levels and adding variety to aerial hoop choreography.
These are the next steps we teach to our aerial hoop students after they’re comfortable with Shoulder Squeeze Arm Block. The next steps can be started right away and they lead toward specific future goals which are often the most advanced aerial hoop skills.
These are some of the more advanced hoop skills that build on the strength and control taught in Shoulder Squeeze Arm Block. They are not the next immediate steps, but rather long term planning goals.
These are aerial hoop sequences, transitions, and combinations that include the aerial skill Shoulder Squeeze Arm Block. They are fun, creative, and challenging sequences from our aerial video tutorial library.
